DOZENS of local families will enjoy a more festive Christmas this year thanks to the efforts of more than 150 car and motorbike enthusiasts.
The second annual Gannawarra Memorial Toy Run was held on Saturday, with 120 road bikes, 41 cars and a dozen bikes involved in the cross-shire event.
Entry fees and cash donations topped $7500 with money still coming in, while toy donations were worth thousands of dollars.
The toy run commenced in Kerang, with bikes and vintage cars filling Victoria Street, which was closed from Wellington to Scoresby Street.
At 9am the road bikes headed for Barham via Myall, while the cars travelled to Gunbower.
The bikes stopped off at the Barham Bakery, where they collected donations of cash and presents.
They were also joined by dirt bike riders, who had travelled from Cohuna via the Gunbower Forest.
After departing Barham the convoy made another stop in Leitchville, before arriving at the conclusion of the run at Cohuna’s Garden Park, where judges picked their favourite cars and bikes.
The run was organised by the Anglican and Uniting Churches and the Lighthouse Group, with support from service clubs and business.
Anglican Church priest, Fr Simon Robinson – who led the run on his Victory Judge road bike – said all money raised and toys donated would go to those in need.
He said a large portion of the money raised would go toward Christmas hampers that will be distributed to more than 100 families in need, while $1000 would be given to St John’s Anglican Church in Kerang for its Christmas lunch, which usually caters for approximately 100 people.
Speaking at the end of the run on Cohuna, Father Robinson said businesses, community groups and individuals had been exceedingly generous at every stop along the route of the toy run.
“For example, our church is doing free tea and coffee here but people are still giving donations; the public has been great everywhere we’ve stopped,” he said.
“We needed everyone on board for it to work and we couldn’t have done it without that support.”
Fr Robinson said riders travelled from far afield locations, including Batemans Bay, Mildura and Timboon, while about 30 members of the Ulysses Club at Swan Hill also took part.
